Stephen Hurley up, Cliff Fisher down

UP: Stephen Hurley. A referee's report exonerates the Madison attorney of wrongdoing in a state Office of Lawyer Regulation's disciplinary proceeding against him. The report concludes that Hurley had an obligation to use deception to obtain exculpatory evidence on behalf of his client, Madison businessman Gordon Sussman, in part because he had a reasonable basis for believing that Madison police might seek its destruction. See TheDailyPage.com for this report and Bill Lueders' posting about it.

DOWN: Cliff Fisher. The Madison developer faces foreclosure on Metropolitan Place II, a luxury condo high-rise downtown. In a court filing, lenders say Fisher's company, Buckingham LLC, hasn't made a payment since Oct. 1 and owes more than $26 million. Fisher's attorney says only about 37% of the building's 164 units have been sold so far. The Willy Street Co-op, which signed a lease to open its second store in the building, has delayed its plans because of the foreclosure filing.